Halter



April 19, 1960 F. E. RAY 2,932,930

HALTER Filed July 22, 1959 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent HALTER Frank E. Ray, Livonia, Mich.Application July 22, 1959, Serial No. 828,867 6 Claims. (Cl. 54--24)This invention relates horse.

An object of the invention is to provide a halter which in many waysresembles one form of a conventional halter that is widely used butwhich is so constructed that pressure applied to the halter lead chaindoes not so displace the halter upon the horses head as to bring anyportion of the halter into overlying relationship with or uncomfortablyclose to an eye of the horse.

A further object is the provision of a halter of the character describedwhich is effective in controlling the horse but which is so constructedthat the halter cheek straps which extend from the throat latch andcrown portion of the halter and on opposite sides thereof to the nosestrap and chin strap portion of the halter will retain their intendedpositions remote from and below the eyes of the horse and will not bedisplaced while the halter is in use so as to interfere With the horseseyes.

A further object is the provision of a halter of the character hereindescribed which has two cheek straps disposed on opposite sides andwhich cheek straps are cut somewhat in the form of an arc so as toextend downwardly away from the eyes of the horse. These cheek straps,though possessing suflicient flexibility for their use as parts of thehalter, are resistant to any flexing or buckling which would tend todisplace them upwardly to interfere with the horses eyes. The checkstraps, while normally flexible, are relatively inflexible toward theconcave side of the strap and within the plane of the strap.

A meritorious feature of the invention resides in the provision of thehalter for the purpose described wherein a crown strap is connected atopposite ends with a throat latch by suitable connecting rings, and anose strap is connected at opposite ends with the chin strap by suitableconnecting rings, and generally arcuate cheek straps extend alongopposite sides of the halter and are connected at opposite ends with thecrown strap rings and the nose strap rings. A lead chain is connectedwith one crown strap ring below the cheek strap and extends therealongand slidably through the ring at the opposite end of the cheek strap andextends therefrom along the nose strap and is wrapped thereabout andextends through the ring at the opposite end of the nose strap, all ashereinafter more particularly described.

The above objects and others will more fully appear from the followingdescription, claims, and accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved halter disposed upon the headof a horse;

Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in perspective of the opposite side of thehalter from that shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the halter is shown as comprising a crown strap 10which extends over the crown of the horses head. This strap is formed intwo end sections and one of these is provided with a buckle 12 wherebythe halter may be adjustably fastened upon the horses head. Oppositeends of this crown strap, which may to an improved halter for a2,932,930 Patented Apr. 19, 1960 be formed of leather or any othersuitable material and which is relatively flexible but suificientlystrong and rugged to serve its intended purpose and may commonly beformed of a two-ply leather strap wherein the two plies are stitchedtogether, are provided with rings 14. To these two rings 14 is secured athroat latch 16. This throat latch may, like the crown strap, be formedof the same material and might preferably comprise 'a twoply stitchedleather strap. This throat latch and crown strap constitute what mightbe termed the crown throat portion of the halter.

The halter includes a nose piece or nose strap 18.

This nose strap extends over the nose of the horse andis provided ateach of its two opposite ends with a nose strap ring 20. A chin strap,which is formed in two sections and each of which is identified as 22and which sections are connected together by a ring 24, extends betweenthe nose strap rings 20 as shown particularly in Fig. 2. The nose strapand the chin strap assembly constitute the nose-chin portion of thehalter.

A throat tug or strap 26 is connected at one end with the ring 24 and islooped loosely about and connected at the opposite end as at 28 with thethroat latch 16. This connects the crown and throat portion of thehalter with the nose and chin portion underneath the horses head.

The halter includes two cheek straps or cheek pieces each of which isindicated in the drawing as 30. These cheek pieces may be formed oftwo-ply leather straps stitched together. They are cut generally in theform of an are as shown, being cut so as to extend downwardly away fromthe eye of the horse. While each cheek strap is sufiiciently flexible toserve its purpose in conforming with the shape of the horses head, it isrelatively resistant or inflexible to bending or buckling upwardly ortoward the concave edge of the cheek strap.

The cheek strap may be reinforced, if desired, to impart greaterresistance to such bending by having a piece of metal, plastic, or thelike, such as indicated by dotted outline and the numeral 32,interleaved between the two leather plies. This may be done but it isnot believed that it will generally be necessary because the two-plystitched leather strap cut as shown possesses what is believed to besulficient resistance to upward buckling or bending.

The rings which have been identified as 14 and also as 20 are hereinreferred to by the same terminology as a ring. It is noted, however,that the rings 20 have side loops 34 with which the opposite ends of thenose strap 18 and the ends of the two cheek straps 30 are shown asconnected. The word ring is intended to designate either form of ringshown and it is apparent that if desired, any other suitable form ofring or a suitable buckle might be used in place of such ring. The termring is intended to designate any such means.

A suitable lead, which may be in the form of'a chain, at least in part,indicated at 36, is shown as releasably connected at one end at 38 to acrown strap ring 14. From such ring 14 it extends downwardly andforwardly alongside and underneath the cheek strap 30 and through thering 24 to which the opposite end of the cheek strap is connected. Suchchain then extends through the ring 20 and alongside the nose strap 18and is preferably wrapped one turn about such nose strap 18 and thenextends through the opposite nose strap ring 20 on the other side of thehalter. The free end of the lead is available for the trainer to graspin leading the horse.

It has been found that a halter provided with cheek straps ashereinabove described will maintain its normal position on the horseshead and will not be pulled sufficiently to one side by pressure exertedon the lead to displace a check strap upwardly so as to interfere withan eye of the horse. The substantially arcuate shape of the cheek strapsas shown curved downwardly away from the eye and their relativeinflexibility prevent this displacement of the halter which is a commonoccurrence with conventional halters of the same general character.

What I claim is:

,l. A halter for a horse comprising a crown strap and a throat latchportion, a nose strap and a chin strap portion, and two complementaryopposed cheek straps extending between and connecting opposite points ofthe crown strap and throat latch portion with opposite points of thenose strap and chin strap portion on opposite sides of the halter, eachcheek strap being formed with a somewhat arcuate curvature to projectdownwardly away from an eye of the horse.

2. A halter for a horse comprising, in combination a crown strap and athroat latch connected therewith forming a crown throat portion, a nosestrap and a chin strap connected therewith forming a nose-chin portion,a throat tug extending between and connecting the throat latch with thechin strap, two opposed complementary cheek straps extending alongopposite sides of the halter between and: connecting the crown throatportion and the nose-chin. portion, each cheek strap being shapedsubstantially in the form of an arc to project downwardly away from aneye of the horse and being relatively resistant to bending upwardlywithin the plane of the strap.

3. A halter for a horse comprising, in combination, a crown strap havinga ring at each of its two opposite ends, a throat latch connected withand extending between said rings, a nose strap having a ring at each ofits two opposite ends, a chin strap connected with and extending betweenthe nose strap rings, two opposed complementary cheek straps positionedon opposite sides of the halter and extending between and connecting thecrown strap rings with the nose strap rings, each cheek strap beingshaped somewhat in the form of an arc projected downwardly'away from theadjacent eye of the horse.

4. A halter for a horse comprising, in combination, a crown strap havinga ring at each of its two opposite ends, a throat latch connected withand extending between said rings, a nose strap having a ring at each ofits two opposite ends, a chin strap connected with and extending betweenthe nose strap rings, two opposed complementary cheek straps positionedon opposite sides of the halter and extending between and connecting thecrown strap rings with the nose strap rings, each cheek strap beingshaped somewhat in the form of an are projected downwardly away from theadjacent eye of the horse, and a flexible lead connected at one end withone crown strap ring and extending therefrom downwardly and forwardlyalongside the cheek strap connected with the same ring and through thenose ring on the same side of the halter and then extending along andabout the nose strap and through the other nose strap ring. a

5. A halter for a horse comprising, in combination, a crown strap havinga ring at each of its two opposite ends, a threat latch connected withand extending between said rings, a nose strap having a ring at each ofits two opposite ends, a chin strap connected with and extending betweenthe nose strap rings, two opposed complementary cheek'straps positionedon opposite sides of the halter and extending between and connecting thecrown strap rings with the nose strap rings, each cheek strap beingshaped somewhat in the form of an are projected downwardly away from theadjacent eye of the horse, each cheek strap provided with a somewhatarcuate relatively flexible reinforcement laminated therewith to resistflexing of the cheek strap upwardly toward.

the concave side of the strap.

6. A halter for a horse comprising, in combination, a crown strap havinga ring at each of its two opposite ends, a throat latch connected withand extending between said rings, a nose strap having a ring at each ofits two opposite ends, a chin strap connected with and extending betweenthe nose strap rings, two opposed complementary cheek straps positionedon opposite sides of the halter and extending between and connecting thecrown strap rings with the nose strap rings, each cheek strap beingshaped somewhat in the form of an arc projected downwardly away from theadjacent eye of the horse, said cheek strap being relatively inflexibleto bending toward its concave side, a lead chain connected at one endwith a crown strap ring and extending therefrom downwardly and forwardlyalongside the cheek strap which is connected with the same ring to andthrough the nose strap ring with which said cheek strap is connected andthen extending along and about the nose strap and through the ring atthe opposite end of the nose strap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

